Emma Atkinson

News - Indiana Public Media • 7th January 2022

We Still Don't Know Why 'Hundreds' Of IN Songbirds Are Mysteriously Getting Sick

In late spring, a wildlife rehabilitator in Monroe County noticed songbirds displaying concerning symptoms: swollen, crusty eyes, tremors and odd behavior. Many of these birds appeared sick, and some died.

Now, hundreds of sick and dying birds with these same symptoms have been reported in more than 50 counties across the state. Indiana Department of Natural Resources officials say official reports are likely conservative compared to the actual number of afflicted birds.

And it’s not just Indi

News - Indiana Public Media • 7th January 2022

IU Officials Still Deciding Whether To Mandate COVID-19 Vaccine For Students

An Indiana University official says mandating COVID-19 vaccines for students makes “perfect sense,” but university leaders haven’t decided whether it will become a requirement.

IU’s Assistant Director of Public and Environmental Health Graham McKeen is a communicable disease expert. He’s been part of the university’s response to the pandemic since the beginning, and he said the COVID-19 vaccine would be a logical addition to IU’s existing immunization requirements.

“That structure is in place,

News - Indiana Public Media • 7th January 2022

Bloomington Anti-White Supremacy March Touches On Local, National Issues

About 100 people marched through downtown Bloomington at sunset Saturday night to protest white supremacy.

The event was sponsored by the Bloomington chapter of Young Democratic Socialists of America, an “anti-capitalist organization.”

YDSA leader Jess Tang spoke to the crowd that gathered at People’s Park before the march about a recent spate of deportations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Tang listed the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office’s policy of reporting crimes to ICE as

News - Indiana Public Media • 7th January 2022

Who's Hiring Right Now? Here's A List To Get Your Job Search Started

As pandemic-induced unemployment skyrockets to rates the United States hasn't seen since the Great Depression, many people are out of work.

But some companies are hiring locally — here's a searchable list of a selection of open positions, culled from job boards like Indeed and LinkedIn.

News - Indiana Public Media • 7th January 2022

Freedom, Safety & Home Improvement Stores: Bloomington Customers Grapple With Mask Policies

This story is part of our City Limits: Coronavirus series. We're answering your questions about the effect the coronavirus pandemic is having on your life, your family and our community.

For many people, summer weather and home improvements are synonymous. Do an internet search for “best summer home improvement projects,” for example, and the first page of results is full of web pages advertising how to take advantage of the nice weather and do-it-yourself.

But as summer nears and the COVID-19

News - Indiana Public Media • 7th January 2022

No Injuries Reported After Fire Destroys 3 Homes, Damages 2

The cause of a Monday afternoon structure fire that started in one south side Bloomington home and spread to four others has not yet been determined, officials say.

Monroe Fire Protection District spokesperson Jason Allen said emergency responders received a call about a home on fire in the 2500 block of South Wickens Street around 1 p.m. Monday. Around 4:30 p.m. the same day, crews were still on the scene drenching what was left of the house where the fire originated.

Allen said the blaze alm

News - Indiana Public Media • 7th January 2022

Socially Distant But Together In Spirit: Faith Communities Prep For April Celebrations

Faith leaders in Bloomington are reconsidering how to celebrate major religious holidays without in-person gatherings as federal and state social distancing guidelines stretch further into the future.

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb’s executive stay-at-home order categorizes religious entities as “essential operations,” provided that congregations abide by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guidelines, which advise against gatherings of any size in communities with local spread of the new

News - Indiana Public Media • 7th January 2022

IU Officials Still Deciding Whether To Mandate COVID-19 Vaccine For Students

An Indiana University official says mandating COVID-19 vaccines for students makes “perfect sense,” but university leaders haven’t decided whether it will become a requirement.

IU’s Assistant Director of Public and Environmental Health Graham McKeen is a communicable disease expert. He’s been part of the university’s response to the pandemic since the beginning, and he said the COVID-19 vaccine would be a logical addition to IU’s existing immunization requirements.

“That structure is in place,

News - Indiana Public Media • 7th January 2022

Returning To Campus? Maybe. IU President Outlines 5 Scenarios For Fall Semester

IU’s fall semester classes will likely look different this year.

As some schools around the country have canceled in-person classes or announced plans for reopening come fall, IU President Michael McRobbie is taking a more measured approach.

Promising in-person classes and activities in the fall would not be "realistic or even responsible" at this point, according to a Thursday campuswide email from McRobbie. He says IU officials are planning for five possible scenarios.

The first is to retur

News - Indiana Public Media • 7th January 2022

What Is An Identitarian? We Talked To An Extremism Researcher To Find Out

The Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market will reopen tomorrow after a two-week suspension that followed weeks of protests, unrest and concern for public safety.

At the center of this summer’s ongoing market controversy is Sarah Dye, owner of Schooner Creek Farm. More than 200 Bloomington residents and groups wrote a letter to the city earlier this summer claiming she and her family have ties to Identity Evropa, a white supremacist group. Dye has denied allegations that she is a white supremaci